Signs
by Whybe123
Summary: Trigger warnings all over, just slapping that on here up front. This is not for those of you who don't think they can handle it. tw: child abuse (will probably be updated) "If I had known...I could've saved her." mAU 2 chap update 7/28
1. Chapter 1

I wish I knew.

The signs were there all along.

I was too blind to see!

If I had known I...

...

_...I could have saved her._

.oOo.

There is an unusual age gap between and my sister, I still think it's strange my parents would have another kid so late. I'm twenty-four and my baby sister, Anna, is seven.

Our parents passed away two years ago, ever since then I've been the guardian of my baby sister. I love her, I love her so much; she's my everything.

Anna and I live in an apartment across the street from the diner I work full-time at. It's a cute little place, it's called Oaken's and it's run by . Oaken is such a sweetheart, his husband bought him the diner and they run it together along with their kids. Edvard, Oaken's husband, is very kind but doesn't know much Norwegian; he moved here to Norway from Sweden just to be with Oaken.

Oaken gave me a job baby-sitting his younger kids, then eventually when he learned about Anna he offered me a job in the diner. We needed the money bad so I took it without a second thought.

It was in that diner on an overcast Tuesday that I met Hans. He came in wearing a thick red scarf and an oversized black coat. He seemed a bit out of breath as his cheeks were red and he was huffing as though he just resurfaced from a pool.

"Uh, sir? Are you alright?" I asked over the counter with concern. He looked up at me with a bit of confusion in his deep green eyes. He slicked back his auburn hair and straightened up as he approached the bar.

"W-water...please." He rasped, collapsing into a seat. I ran to the kitchen, dodging Oaken's husky body as he cooked, and grabbed a water bottle for the man. Returning to the front of the diner, I handed him the water, he drank it hastily and panted.

"T-thank you miss." He gasped. "I'm Hans by the way."

"Elsa." I replied. "Can I ask what has you so out of breath?"

Hans chuckled and sighed a little.

"I've got a job interview, I was almost late." Hans smirked.

"Job interview? Here?" I squeaked in surprise.

Turns out Oaken neglected to mention that he felt we were short-staffed and was hiring new people to help out. I certainly would've picked up the extra hours, I seriously could use the money. But Hans was here and he got the job in minutes. I was angry to say the least. I was fucking infuriated to say the most. But...Hans ended up being more than a job-snatching stranger. He was a handsome job-snatching stranger who could somehow make me laugh no matter how shitty my day was. I started to lean of him to get through the day.

Eventually, it was hard to separate at the end of the day after we'd spend an extra hour after closing to clean. We'd crank up the radio even though it hardly had a signal while we washed dishes and clean the floors, we'd sing loud and off-key until the night would wrap up for us. One night I kissed him. As soon as I did I ran home, flustered, and found Anna asleep in our bed with her sitter, our neighbor Tiana, asleep alongside her. There was crayons and construction paper all over the bed sheets, Anna had a folded piece of paper in one of her hands. I shook Tiana awake, letting her know she was free to go, and pried the paper from Anna's grip. I unfolded the bright blue piece of paper to find a crude drawing inside. There was a stick picture of Anna and me in a castle with crowns on our heads. It said 'thank you Elsa for making me your princess' at the bottom. Tiana stretched and saw that I was reading the card.

"Anna made that for you. She was complaining that you were never home. I told her it was because you're working to make sure she can get whatever she wants." Tiana yawned. "So she always feels like your little princess."

"Oh god, Anna, I'm sorry baby." I lamented to my sleeping sister. "I'd be here more if I could."

"Els, you're doing your best. I think Anna understands." Tiana smiled warmly and put her hand oh my shoulder. I began to draw out my wallet to get her pay.

"Thanks for watching her again, I'll pay y-"

"No, no, no, you're going to keep that money and do something fun with Anna tomorrow." Tiana pushed my wallet back into my pocket and gave me a hug before leaving for the night. I sighed and slumped onto the bed in my work clothes next to Anna. She was still in her school clothes, a lime-green tennis tee with a horse on the front and jean-shorts. She still even had her little pink sneakers on. I shook her, she mumbled in her sleep and woke slightly.

_"Elssssaa?"_ She slurred.

"Hey sweetie." I whispered and kissed her forehead. "You didn't take a bath did you?" Her hair was still in short twin braids instead of being loose, it was clear she didn't bathe yet. My suspicions were confirmed with a drowsy shake of her head.

"C'mon, at least come change and brush your teeth." I grunted as I scooped her up in my arms. She wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my shoulder.

"I missed you..." Anna mumbled. Her fragile voice made me grin. I kissed her shoulder as I carried her into our tiny bathroom.

I sat her on the cool white counter and started undoing her braids. She opened her eyes now, they were half-lidded with fatigue, but open. Anna smiled while I ran my hands through her strawberry tresses, her sun-kissed cheeks rising up into her cyan eyes.

"That feels good." She yawned, my nails scratching her scalp. I kissed her forehead and went to wet our toothbrushes.

Foamy toothpaste dripped down her chin, I wiped it up before it fell on her shirt. We finished and rinsed our brushes, Anna leaned against the mirror above the counter and gazed up at me weakly.

"Okay, pj's snowflake." I directed and took off her sneakers. Anna hopped off the counter and started to strip.

"We'll take a bath in the morning, kay?" I asked.

"Mmkay." Anna agreed sleepily rubbing her eyes. She put her clothes in the plastic clothes basket in the bathroom and retreated back to our bed in her undies. I followed her and went into our dresser, the only other piece of furniture in our bedroom, and pulled out night-shirts for both of us. I pulled my shirt on then helped Anna with hers. My sister curled up in my arms, I snuggled under the sheets with Anna in my chest.

"Goodnight, Anna." I whispered, planting one last kiss on her hair.

"G'night, Elsa." She whispered back and kissed my collarbone.

My princess.

.oOo.

Hans and I eventually started dating. We bought a better apartment and he would watch Anna when I worked. They seemed to get along really well, I was glad the two most important people in my life were close.

I came home one night and found both asleep, Anna was in her room and Hans in ours. It was late, I was exhausted, and the bed was much more inviting with Hans in it. Stripping down and changing into my pajamas, which was just one of Hans's shirts, I slipped into bed. He rolled over to snuggle me with a gruff moan of content.

"How was work?" He asked.

"Stupid." I grumbled in his chest, he laughed. "How was Anna?"

"We played with her dolls...had a tea party." Hans replied. "She wasn't feeling too good after dinner though, so she went to bed early. You might want to check on her." I sat up out of worry.

"What was wrong with her?"

"She told me her stomach hurt and she didn't want to eat, so I didn't make her finish her food." Hans said. I quirked a brow in surprise.

"Anna wouldn't eat? That's not like her." I was concerned now, she might be getting sick. "I'm going to go check on her."

"Her food is still in the fridge if you want to see if you can get her to eat." Hans called as I left our room for Anna's. She was snuggled under the blankets, awake. She rolled over and looked up at me with a pitiful expression. I sat on her bed with her and felt her forehead, she wasn't hot.

"What's wrong, snowflake?" I asked softly.

"My insides hurt..." Anna whined.

"Your stomach?" I put a hand on her belly, She put her hands on mine.

"No, _my insides." _Anna said, as if I was wrong. I gave her a solemn smirk, my brows knitted together as I tried to think of a solution.

"Do you think you're sick?" I asked. "You didn't feel hot..."

"I think I'm sick." Anna said slowly, seeming to ponder her words.

"I don't think we have any medicine for...insides. Can you wait until tomorrow?" Anna nodded, clutching my hands.

"Be strong, okay?" I kissed her knuckles and left her to sleep.

In the middle of the night, Hans and I were awoken with Anna crying. The waddled into our room with tears on her cheeks.

"Anna? What's wrong?!" I exclaimed and leapt out of bed to check her for injuries. She looked up at Hans, her cheeks flushed and she whispered in my ear.

"I had a bad dream and...I wet my bed." She cried. I breathed a breath of relief, I thought she was hurt. "I'm sorry."

"Shh, there's no need to apologize. It's alright." I assured. "We'll get you cleaned up and you can sleep in here with us."

Anna looked upset still, her little brows furrowed. I leaned in closer to her.

"Do you want to talk about the dream?" I asked carefully, she shook her head vigorously in return.

"Alright. That's ok." I told her and stood to face Hans. "Babe, can you go clean her bed while I get her cleaned up?" I asked him. He groaned and sunk into the bed a bit more but grumbled a faint 'yes' to me. I smiled slightly and started to lead Anna to the bathroom. All the way down her legs was wet and part of her shirt, her underwear completely soaked through.

"Poor baby, must've been pretty bad, huh?" I cooed and started to undress her. She stopped me and pointed towards the open bathroom door.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Close it, please." Anna pleaded.

"It never bothered you before." I stated. "Is it because of Hans?"

Anna nodded shyly.

"He's not looking in here at you, Anna, but I'll close it." The door closed with a creak and I resumed undressing Anna. She was shaking and looked all around miserable.

"How about a hot bath, huh?" I asked with a grin. "That'll help you feel better."

"Okay..." She mumbled. I ran the water and put a dash of soap just under the faucet, bubbles started to form and made a mountain of the little spheres. The smile returned to Anna's face and I put her in. I kneeled on the tiled floor and flashed her a smile.

"Better?" I asked and moistened her hair.

"Better." She replied. I stood and stretched to go get my phone but Anna screamed bloody murder when I started to leave.

"Whoa, Anna, what's the matter with you?" I questioned.

_"Don't leave me alone!" _She begged, tears threatening to spill over again.

"I'm just grabbing my phone to see what time it is; I'm coming right back!" I soothed. She pondered this for a moment and gave me permission to leave, so long as I hurried back. I went back into my room and grabbed my phone from its place on my nightstand, it was ten minutes until midnight. I squeaked in surprise when I felt a pair of burly arms wrap around my waist and hot breath on my neck.

"Did I scare you?" Hans's warm voice filled my ears.

"Oh gods, Hans, don't scare me like that!" I smacked him repeatedly until he released me from his surprise embrace. He laughed all the while.

"D'you clean her bed?" I asked, he gave me a firm nod.

"All cleaned up."

"Cool. Hey, did Anna say anything to you?" I questioned as I put my phone in the hem of my underwear, since I had no pockets.

"Like what?" He crossed his arms and looked worried. "Is she alright?"

"I'm not sure what's up with her, she's acting really...odd." I couldn't find a better way to phrase it. Anna was usually so bubbly and hyper but then, all of a sudden, she's started being so clingy. "She hasn't wet her bed in years, or had a nightmare."

"She hasn't said anything to me." He replied. "She was a little quiet when we were playing earlier though."

I looked at him in concerned silence, he returned the worried gaze and sighed.

_"Elsaaaaa..." _Anna's timid voice echoed from the bathroom.

"I'm coming, sweetie." I called and went back to her side. She was curled up with her knees to her chest and her freckled cheeks puffed out in a pout. I closed the lid to the toilet and sat on it so I could be next to her. I pet her hair gently, she blinked up at me and sighed.

"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" I asked. Anna sniffled and shook her head, her gaze turned to the walls and she appeared to zone out. I was afraid, I needed to know what could get this little ball of sunshine so down. "If you want to tell me, I'm here, okay?"

"...okay."

I took Anna out as the bath water started to chill. I wrapped her in a fluffy blue towel and carried her out of the bathroom. Hans was sitting on the edge of our bed going through his phone., he seemed rather into whatever he was doing. I sat Anna down next to him and kissed her forehead.

"I'll go grab you some clothes, okay?" I said, Anna nodded and held her gaze on the floor. I started to walk out when I heard Hans try talking to her.

"How are you feeling, Anna?" She didn't say anything back. I was trying to think of what could be troubling her as I pulled out clean clothes for her. She didn't want to eat, she had a nightmare, and she wet her bed. Now she was acting a bit out of character, she loved to talk to Hans and suddenly she was ignoring him. She didn't want to be left alone either. I couldn't think of a reason. I returned to the red-heads with a shirt and underwear for Anna to wear. Hans was brushing her hair out, she looked like she was about to fall asleep. Suddenly she cringed and hissed in pain.

"Sorry, you've got a bunch of tangles in your hair." Hans apologized and ran the brush trough a few more times. I sat the clothes on the bed next to them and waited for him to stop brushing her hair. When he did Anna stood and clung to her towel for dear life, she was shaking from the cold.

"You look like your freezing, c'mere." I kneeled down to her level and took her towel so I could dry her dripping hair. She balled her fists and held them over her chest, her eyes closed as I mussed her hair over with the towel. Her strawberry colored locks fluffed up to the size of a Lion's mane, the single streak of white hair stood out against the mass.

"You're got such pretty hair." I said and soothed it down to I could pull her shirt over her head. "Even if it's a tad crazy."

Anna giggled slightly messed up my hair, threading her tiny fingers through my bangs.

"here," I chuckled and held out her underwear to her. "put on your undies."

"Panties, Elsa." Anna corrected me. I was a but surprised, she never called them that before.

"Since when did you call them that?" I asked. Anna shrugged and put on her underwear.

"I dunno." She responded, childishly rocking on her heels. My brow furrowed in suspicion.

"Uh-huh." I grunted. "Alright then..."

Anna looked embarrassed, she scrambled up onto the bed and snuggled under the blankets on my side of the bed; I've always had this thing about sleeping on the left side of a bed and I'm not sure why.

I clambered up the bed beside Anna and Hans went on the other side of her, putting her in the middle. Anna curled into my chest like when we used to sleep together and clutched the hem of my shirt in her fists.

"You need to go again before we go to bed?" I asked warily. "I don't want you to have another accident in my bed."

"I'm fine..." Anna whimpered. I gave her a quiet kiss, whispered goodnight to her, and drifted off to sleep.

.o0o.

I woke up to the sound of my alarm blaring; I was going to miss work.

"Shit!" I exclaimed and leapt out of bed. Anna remained blissfully asleep, Hans sat up worriedly and looked around the room.

"Huh what?" He shouted.

"I'm going to be late!" I replied, it was five minutes until I needed to be at work. "I need you to drive Anna to school, please?"

"What? Yeah, sure, of course babe." Hans slurred back. I struggled to pull on a pair of jeans and a tank-top. I rushed to give Hans a quick kiss and a peck on Anna's sleeping cheeks.

"Have a good day!" Hans called as I rushed out with my keys nearly falling out of the pocket of the hoodie I struggled to throw over my head.

"Thanks!" I yelled over my shoulder and ran down the stairs in hopes I could run those two blocks that now separated our shared apartment from Oaken's diner. If I was lucky, Evard would be able to calm him down after I showed up late.

.o0o.

"Yoo-hoo, Elsa, there is a phone call for you!" Oaken called from the back door of the building, I was lounging out back on my break with another employee who was smoking.

"Coming." I grunted. I took the towel that was draped over my shoulder and wiped my forehead with it. Upon my return inside, Oaken's wide blue eyes were brimming with concern.

"What happened?" I asked gravely.

"The school called, it's about Anna; they vouldn't tell me anything else." Oaken whispered. I almost snatched the phone from him.

"Hello?" I choked into the phone. Evard and Oaken stood protectively close by, Oaken clutching my free hand.

"Is this the guardian of Anna Arendelle?" The woman on the other end asked.

"Yes, this is her sister, is she alright? Did something happen?" I rattled off concerns into the phone and gripped Oaken's massive hands tightly.

"Anna is fine, she's just been...acting out in class and it needs to be addressed; it's become a serious issue." The woman spoke cryptically, it frankly just frustrated me. It was also odd how she timed her call, it was about noon; the kids were probably in lunch right now.

"May I ask who I am speaking to?"

"I am her teacher, Mrs. Corona, and I really care about Anna; she's one of my favorite students." Mrs. Corona spoke emotionally, she seemed extremely distraught. "I'm very concerned about her. She suddenly started acting strange in class and...Look, I need to ask you to come in for a conference so we can have an actual discussion about this."

"U-uh okay. When?" I was caught a little off-guard, I was in the middle of my break after all.

"Can you come in today? After school, during pick-up?"

"Yeah, that'll work fine."

"Alright, I'll see you then."

"Alright."

I hung up the phone and stood there with the phone in my hand. The only thing that was confirmed was that Anna wasn't hurt. That was enough to get me through the next few hours.

"Vhat did she say, Elsa?" Oaken questioned softly.

"She's not hurt, but there's something wrong with Anna, and I'm going after work to the school to find out."

.o0o.

I walked into the classroom the woman at the front office directed me to and found Anna sitting with a young, brunette woman that I assumed was her teacher. Anna was sitting on her knees in one of the tiny desks running crayons over a sheet of paper with the woman watching over with a content grin. Her hazel eyes looked up at me when I entered, Anna's teal gaze locked with mine.

"Elsie!" Anna cheered and bolted from her seat and into my arms. I hugged and kissed her tightly.

"I was so worried about you." I sobbed into her ear. Her thin arms wrapped around my neck, her fingers laced in my hair.

"It's okay, Elsa." Anna cooed back. I released her and put light kisses on her forehead before standing to address the woman that now approached us.

"Hello, you must be Elsa." She chirped, her voice bubbly and sweet. "I'm Rapunzel Corona."

"It's nice to meet you." I replied. Rapunzel kneeled down to Anna's level to talk to her for a moment.

"Anna, why don't you go finish your picture while we talk for a little bit, hm?" Rapunzel had a child-like innocence in her eyes that seemed to spread to Anna. Anna nodded excitedly and returned to her desk, her crayons scribbling over the paper furiously. Rapunzel smiled after her then lead me to her desk where she pulled up a chair for me and she sat up on her desk.

"So, what's this all about?" I was ready for an answer. Rapunzel sighed slightly and started to tell her story.

"Like I said, Anna is one of my favorite students." Rapunzel spoke softly so Anna wouldn't hear. "She loves art and its one of my favorite things too, it was our favorite part of the day. She usually draws such beautiful pictures but lately her pictures have been...disturbing." Rapunzel put a fearful emphasis on the last word. She dug into a cabinet beside her computer and pulled out a small stack of children's drawings.

"I want you to take a look at these." Rapunzel said with earnest. I took the pictures with caution and began to study them. The first drawing was of a horse, her favorite animal, but it was standing on a person. The person had x's for eyes.

"She said that the horse killed the person because the horse didn't want to play with him and got angry." Rapunzel said, I actually flinched in shock.

"What in the..."

The second picture was of a little girl drawn with a green crayon in the bottom right corner and the rest of the paper was scribbled in black. The girl was crying.

"That one, the girl is afraid to be alone in the dark."

The third picture was of the same green girl, now she was in a bed and there was a red monster standing at the edge of her bed.

"She wouldn't tell me anything about that one." Rapunzel was sullen.

"She's started having nightmares lately, I think she's afraid of the dark again." I whispered lowly.

"Elsa," Rapunzel had tears in her eyes. She glanced over at Anna to make sure she wasn't paying attention and came close to me.

"Anna said something that scared me this morning."

"What?"

Rapunzel choked slightly.

"She was refusing to sit down today and I asked her why, she said her...privates hurt too much to sit down." My eyes widened. "She...she outright said her vagina; that's not something seven-year-olds usually say. Do...do you think someone..._touched her?"_

I was too stunned to answer immediately, I just looked over at Anna. She glared at her paper and pressed down on the sheet with enough force to break the tip of the crayon she was using.

"Anna," I called to her, she looked up, the frustration melted away into a neutral expression.

"Yeah?"

"Can I see what you're drawing?"

"Mmhmm!" Anna clambered out of her seat with the paper in her fists. She held it up so Rapunzel and I could both see. There was a drawing of me and Anna holding hands on one side while the other side was all scribbled in red.

"What is it of, honey?" Rapunzel asked sweetly. Anna held the picture to her chest so she could see what she was doing as she pointed to each part of her drawing.

"That's Elsa, and that's me and that's..." She trailed off and went silent when she reached the red.

"What's the red part, Anna?" I questioned.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Anna lowered the paper. Her gaze went far off and she rubbed her shoulder nervously through her sweater with a shudder, then a sigh. Rapunzel looked at me to see if I noticed the odd gesture.

"Anna, does your shoulder hurt?" I came a bit closer to her. She looked as if she just got caught at a murder scene with a gun.

"N-no. It's fine- I'm fine." Anna stuttered. I opened my arms for Anna to come to me. She did so reluctantly.

"I'm going to look at it, okay?"

Anna sniffled and whined in protest but didn't stop me from pulling the collar of her sweater down over her shoulder. There was a dark bruise on her shoulder, it was swollen and tender.

"Anna what happened? Who did this?" I gasped. Anna started bawling and pulling away from me.

"Anna, you're not in trouble, I just want to know what happened." I insisted to my frantic little sister. She looked up at Rapunzel and me with wide puppy-dog eyes.

"I got pushed into a wall...It was on accident." Anna said softly.

"Anna, please don't lie to me." I begged. "Tell me what really happened."

"No!" Anna screamed. "He'll hurt me!"

"Who? Who's going to hurt you?" I was so close to getting an answer from her, but her cries became too hysterical to understand. Anna broke down completely, she fell to the floor and sobbed into her hands. I looked to Rapunzel, she was trying to stay strong for Anna. Rapunzel's voice was fragile when she attempted to speak.

"Watch her carefully, I will too. If issues like this get any worse I'll be forced to call child services." She said. "I _should_ call them _now_, but I won't because I feel like it'll make things worse; she needs you, Elsa. Please take care of her." I mustered a nod and picked up Anna, I trudged out of the school with her in my arms. Her body was hot from crying, she was sweating and shaking.

"I'm so sorry, Anna...I want to help you."


	2. Chapter 2

.o0o.

As Anna behavior worsened I decided to contact a therapist. For about a week now she slowly seemed to be degenerating. She barely spoke, seemed very distant, and would sometimes lash out very angrily. Her appetite is almost nonexistent, the bedwetting has become rather frequent along with the nightmares, she never wants to be alone, and her fear of the dark has become almost ridiculous. I've had to sleep with her in my room lately, I can't get a good night's sleep because it's too bright for me to relax with the hall light on.

Her behavior at school has become disruptive and inappropriate, she causes regular outbursts and recently crossed the line when inappropriately exposing herself in school. I was concerned to say the least, Anna was such a good kid and now all of a sudden she was regressing to an angry toddler.

I figured that if I can't get her to talk a professional might have a slightly better chance. The therapist had gotten good reviews and was highly recommended, the office she worked at strived to help people without forcing medication on them. When I met her, she was very cool and collected, overall she was very kind and wanted to see Anna as soon as possible. The day of Anna's first session arrived and she seemed...distant. Anna and I sat in the waiting area for our turn to go back. Anna was kicking her feet over the front of the plush leather chair she sat in, she was watching her pink shoes swinging back and forth with intense focus.

"Hey, Anna, " I started. She looked up at me curiously.

"Hm?"

"Do you want me to come in there with you? Or do you want to talk to the doctor alone?" I asked. Anna poked out her bottom lip in thought and stared at me, mulling over her choices.

"...Alone. I wanna go alone." She decided.

"Okay, that's fine." I said. "You're brave, going by yourself, I hope you know that. You're a tough girl."

A door opened across from us, a woman with a clipboard stepped out and read off the next name.

"Anna Arendelle?" She asked gently, Anna looked irritated that the woman mispronounced her name; she said it the English way.

"My name is _Anna _Arendelle." She corrected and got to her feet.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my bad." The woman apologized."Come right this way, both of you; Belle wanted to speak with you together."

Belle, the therapist for Anna, preferred to be on a first name basis; she said it helps her connect with the kids more. Belle seemed like a good egg, she was a bit soft-spoken and was patient when I started crying during our first meeting. Anna held my hand tightly when we were being led down the sterile looking hallway. We were gestured to enter a small office by the woman.

"Belle will be in here shortly, feel free to get comfortable."

"Thank you." I said quietly, the woman smiled, nodded, then walked back to the front room with her heels clicking against the tile.

"Elsa..." Anna spoke up gently.

"Yes?"

"...It's dark in here." Anna whimpered. The room was dimly lit but it was still possible to see; she was being overly fearful. The room was extremely tiny, there was a bookshelf to the immediate right and a desk across from the door, then on the other side of the room were two leather chairs with cushy looking pillows on them.

"It's alright, Anna."I cooed and squeezed her hand consolingly. "it's still light enough to see."

She kneaded her jacket in her fist and said nothing else. I had to practically drag her in the room with me. I sat in the chair that was more aimed towards the door and pulled Anna into my lap. From where we were sitting I was able to see a toy chest beside the bookshelf brimming with children's toys.

"Can I look in the toy box?" Anna asked.

"Uh, sure." I said. "But if Belle wants us to put them away, we have to, alright?"

"Mmhm." Anna grunted in return and scrambled off my lap to dig in the chest. She noisily rifled through the trinkets, eventually she pulled out a plush snowman and sat cross-legged on the floor with it in her lap. She examined it's features and moved his arms around. She moved her mouth like she was talking but no words came out, she must've been pretending the snowman was talking by mouthing the words. There was a light knock in the doorway, the familiar face of Belle met my gaze as she entered.

"Hello, Elsa, good to see you again." Belle greeted with a timid smile. She turned to see Anna. Belle kneeled down with her and held out her hand.

"You must be Anna, it's very nice to meet you, I'm Belle."

"...Hi..."Anna squeaked shyly and shook Belle's offered hand.

"I see you found Olaf." Belle said, pointing to the snowman. "He's my favorite one in there. He likes warm hugs."

"Wouldn't he melt?" Anna asked.

"He's a magic snowman, he won't melt. If you need someone to hug, you can hug him; alright?" Belle said sweetly.

"I'll hug Elsa too." Anna smiled up at me. Belle stood and took a seat in the other leather chair, she pulled a clipboard seemingly out of nowhere and clicked her pen.

"So, I would like to ask you come questions, Elsa." Belle said.

"Alright."

"Is it just you and Anna living at home?" Belle asked.

"No, my boyfriend, Hans, lives with us." I replied.

"Does he spend a lot of time with Anna?"

"Yes."

Belle turned to as Anna a question.

"Do you like Hans?"

"Sometimes." Anna replied.

"When don't you like him?"

"...When he's being mean." Anna's face turned into a pout and she squeezed Olaf's arms a bit tighter.

"How is he mean to you?" Belle continued.

"He makes me play games with him that I don't want to play. I always want to do something else." Anna said.

"Have you told him that you don't want to play those games?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"I don't want him to be angry or sad." Anna's brows furrowed close together, she looked conflicted, she was glaring into the deep black eyes of the snowman with a white-knuckle grip on the snowman's arms. I was worried now, she was clearly very worked up over this.

"When do you like Hans, Anna?" Belle asked, her pen scribbling over the paper on her clipboard swiftly.

"When we play fun games, or when he cooks, or when he checks my room for monsters." Anna said, her face went neutral.

"Elsa," Belle started and turned back to me. "Would it be possible to get Hans to join us one of these sessions? Possibly the thrid session? I would like the next one to be just me and Anna."

"Oh, yeah, sure, I'll let him know."

"Great. Okay, so I want to do a little game with you two so we can get to know each other a little better, alright?" Belle said with a smile. Anna looked up at her curiously.

"What game?"

Belle rose from her seat and went to the desk, out of one of the drawers she drew out three card decks.

"Now, on each of these cards is something you'd use to describe someone," Belle said and sat on the floor beside Anna. "Now, you have to make three piles about yourself. One pile is things you are, the next is things you think you are, then the last one is things you don't think you are."

"Okay." Anna complied and looked through the cards curiously. I joined them on the floor and eventually we all made our piles.

"I'm curious about what you put in each pile, Anna, would you like to tell us what you put?" Belle asked. Anna fidgeted for a second then huffed.

"I don't like going first." Anna said shyly.

"Who do you think should go first?" Belle asked. Anna pointed at me and sort of rocked in place.

"Okay, we can look at Elsa's first, then you can go, alright?" Belle then turned to me with an assuring smile. "So, what's in your 'I am' pile?"

I felt a little childish participating in this but I would do it for the sake of Anna.

"Uh, let's see..." I muttered looked to the stack. In reality, it wasn't a stack; it only had one card. "In my 'I am' pile I put 'creative'."

"I see that that's the only one you put in that pile, why do you think that is?" Belle asked.

"Um, well, it's the only one I'm really sure of about myself out of these cards." I answered. Belle nodded understandingly.

"Would you like to share your 'I think I am' pile next?"

"Okay." I went to the next pile, this one was larger than the first. "I have 'affectionate', 'anxious', 'charismatic', 'dependable', 'intelligent' and 'sympathetic'."

Belle nodded.

"So, you aren't certain about these things?" She asked.

"They're the kinds of things that other people think about you, it's hard to think these things about yourself without seeming conceded, besides 'anxious'. I just feel like I worry a lot."

"Why does it seem conceded to you?"

"...I...I don't really know."

"What about your last pile; 'I don't think I am'?"

"I put 'extroverted', 'introverted', 'talkative', 'impulsive', 'egotistical', 'devious', and 'hot-headed'."

"I don't know what a lot of those mean." Anna spoke up.

"Sorry, how about uh...'shy', 'out-going', you know what talkative means, 'full of myself',-"

"Oh, okay. I get it now." Anna smiled. "Is it my turn now?"

"Yes, it's your turn, Anna." Belle said. Anna started to look through her cards again, she frowned slightly.

"How come I have different words?" Anna asked.

'They're smaller words, words that you know; so you would know where to put them."

"Oh, alright. Well, I am... creative and friendly." Anna listed then went to the next pile. "I think I am caring, smart, shy, and nice. And I don't think I am mean or lazy."

"Good, good." Belle seemed genuinely pleased with our answers. The rest of the session went off without a hitch. Belle revealed that she was exactly as I had described her, patient and understanding. I think it went well, Anna began to open up more towards the end; hopefully in their private session they'll make some progress.

* * *

**Information on forms of play therapy and interactions between therapists and younger clients researched at www . [slash] e-book . pdf**

**I keep trying to put the site/file down and when I save is vanishes so idfk. If its not there I'm sorry.**

**If anything just search 'therapeutic activities for children Liana Lowenstein' in google and it should come up.**

**Next chapter won't be until after the weekend, we'll get to the third session that includes Hans.**

**~drem**


	3. Chapter 3

Belle suggested that we do the third session somewhere other than her office since Anna was afraid of how dark it was there. I suggested her coming to our apartment, she thought that would be a good idea since children typically felt more comfortable in familiar places; provided they were a safe environment. Hans and I were sitting on the couch together in wait and Anna was playing on the floor with some blocks and a stuffed reindeer toy. Anna built a sort of house for the toy and put it inside it.

"Hey Anna," Hans spoke up, Anna looked at him. "Who got you that reindeer?"

"Um, Kristoff did."

Kristoff lives in the apartment next door, he's a police officer. Anna took to him very quickly and he turned out to be a really nice guy. He'd tend to Anna when Hans and I couldn't because of work. Kristoff was such a sweetheart but Hans was over protective of me and got jealous at the mention of the friendly blonde. The two of them never really got along.

"Oh, _him."_ Hans groaned, making Anna frown.

"Hans, cut it out, Kristoff is a nice guy and he's good to us." I scolded and swatted his arm. He rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He sighed and felt for the remote to the televsion on the floor. Once he found it he turned it on and flicked aimlessly through channels. Anna got up and walked uot of the room without a word. I heard her bedroom door close.

"Now look, you upset her." I growled at Hans. He looked shocked.

"What did I do?!"

"Ugh, stupid." I muttered under my breath and followed Anna to her room. I knocked lightly on the door and called her through it, she didn't respond.

"Anna, snowflake, are you alright?" I asked. I heard a whimper through the door and decided I should go in. "Anna, I'm coming in."

"No, don't!" She squealed but I had already opened the door. Anna was on her bed, she looked like she was getting caught doing something. Her cheeks were flushed and she was hiding her hands behind her back.

"Anna, what are you doing? Are you alright?" I asked.

"N-No just- I don't-" Anna stuttered, her shoulders scrunched up to her ears.

"What's behind your back?"

"Nothing!" She lied terribly.

"Anna, c'mon."

Anna looked like she was about to cry. Slowly, she pulled her hands out from behind her- she had blood on her fingrs.

"Anna!" I gasped. "What happened?" I came closer and examined her hands.

"I-I'm bleeding..." Anna whimpered.

"Where? Where are you bleeding?"

"I-I-In my..." Anna pointed to her pants with a bloodied finger.

_'Could she have just hit puberty early? Maybe it's just her period...But there's no way, she's only seven.'_

"Hey, it's alright." I cooed. "C'mon, let's go get you cleaned up."

"It hurts really bad." Anna cried. I picked her up and carried her to the bathroom, consoling her all the while.

"Hans!" I shouted and gestured for Anna to strip.

"Yeah?" Hans yelled back from the living room.

"Can you call Belle and cancel? Reschedule maybe?"

"Why?"

"It's probably not a good idea for today." I said, not wanting to humiliate Anna.

"But why?"

"Babe, please, just cancel!"

"Alright, alright!"

"Thank you."

"Yeah..."

I turned back to Anna who was cringing in pain, she was in her panties which were blood soaked.

"Goodness." I couldn't help but mutter.

"It hurts." Anna said again.

"Here?" I asked and put my hand on her lower stomach, it might've been cramps.

"No, it hurts inside." Anna sobbed. I felt my heart drop.

"Why, sweetie?" Anna looked around nervously, fidgeting and pulling her ear lobes.

"Can you just help me? It really hurts." She finally said.

"Fine, I'll start a shower for you so we can get all the blood off then...I guess I'll take a look." I sighed. I closed the bathroom door and ran the hot water for Anna.

"Will you shower with me?" Anna squeaked timidly. "I haven't showered by myself before..."

I shrugged and agreed, she seemed a bit relieved at that. I heard a little click behind me while I was checking the tempurature of the water, I turned and saw Anna locking the door.

"What are you doing?" Anna just looked up me with doeful eyes and didn't say anything, she just shook her head; her braids flopping over her freckeld shoulders.

Once we got in the shower and Anna washed the blood from her thighs I was tasked with the awkward job of checking her for injuries. Before I could even get very close, I saw bruises on the underside of her legs. There were deep, purple and yellow bruises on her ankles, calves, thighs and on her bottom.

"Oh my god, Anna, who did this to you?" I asked, she looked at the ground; not giving me an answer. I put a hand on her cheek and pulled her gaze back to me. The sound of the hot water filled the silence. Anna's lip quivered, her brows knitted together, and her shoulders bunched up.

"Hans." She whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

**GRAPHIC. trigger warning: Abuse, rape, blood. Skip to the next chapter if you can't handle this. Don't risk it.**

* * *

.o0o. ANNA.o0o.

Its hard to remember when it started. But, I remember a bunch of times when it did happen. He's been doing it for a long time...

.o0o.

I woke up one day and Elsa was gone, she was at work. I was alone in my room and it was still pretty early. What day was it? Didn't I have to go to school? I crawled out of bed, yawning and stretching, and walked out into the living room. Hans was there, cooking in the kitchen, humming to himself. He must've heard me, he turned around to look at me and smiled.

"Good morning, sunshine." Hans said. "You hungry?"

"Yeah." I said back and plopped onto the couch. "Don't I have to go to school?"

"It's Saturday, silly." Hans said.

"Oh, I didn't know."

He went back to humming and cooking, it smelled really good. It was quiet, he had the tv off; he normally couldn't stand having it off.

"Its ready, Anna." Hans said, holding up a plate. I walked into the kitchen and took the plate from him, said thanks, thenwent back to the couch. He made toast and eggs and sausage, it all looked really good; it made my stomach growl.

"What do you want to drink, Anna?" He asked while peering in the fridge. "You want juice? Or milk?"

"What kind of juice is it?" I asked through a bite of toast.

"Orange."

"That, please."

"Mmkay."

I kept eating quietly while Hans poured me a drink. He brought over a glass of orange juice and sat it on the table, then he sat down next to me. I felt him put his arm on the back of he couch behind me, he clicked on the tv with his other hand. He put it on cartoons, I don't remember which one; its just one of the few kids shows he likes. I ate most of my food, but when I drank my juice it tasted a little gross.

"Ew." I muttered.

"What is it?"

"My orange juice tastes...salty. Is it spoiled?" I asked.

"No, I'm drinking some too and it tastes fine to me." Hans said, holding up his own glass of orange juice. "Maybe it just tastes funny because you just ate."

"...Yeah, I guess." I said. A little while after I finished eating and drank my juice I started to feel tired again, like, _really_ tired. Hans noticed that.

"Oh? Falling back asleep, huh?" He said like I was a baby. "Maybe I should put you in bed, yeah?"

I knew what he meant when he said that, I tried to say no but I was too tired to reply.

"Aw, too sleepy to talk back. Let's go on to bed then, Anna." He said in my ear, his breath hot and smelly. I felt him kiss my neck before I fell asleep.

I don't remember what happened next.

When I woke up, I was alone; again. But now I was in Hans's bed, I only had on my underwear, and my body felt weak. There were red spots in weird places all over me. The door opened, scaring me, and Hans walked in.

"You fell asleep, Anna." He said.

"I-I know that." I said back. "What are all these spots on me?"

"Those," Hans shut the door, locked it with his key, and crawled up on the bed. "Are hickeys."

"What are hickeys?" I asked, he pulled me into his lap and held up my arms, he kissed my wrists and laughed slightly.

"They're not anything to worry about. It happens when someone does this." Hans said and started to suck in my shoulder, it felt gross and weird.

"Ew, no, stop licking me!" I screamed and tried to push him away, he is a lot stronger than me though; he held me tight and kept me in his lap. "Stop!"

"Shut the hell up!" He shouted and pushed my face down into the bed. He held my arms behind my back and I started to cry, I was afraid. He pulled my underwear down a little and did the hickey thing to my butt, which was even more gross; and he bit me too. He flipped me over on my back, he started to lick up my belly and kiss my chest.

"Oh, your little nipples are so cute; I love them." He growled like a dog and licked around my skin. It made my stomach feel tingly, like there was fire in my body. I didn't like it.

"Please, stop, Hans." I begged. He just bit me a little harder, making me scream.

"You don't get to tell me what to do." Hans shouted. He stood up and started to undo his belt, staring me in my eyes while he did it.

"Bend over the bed." He told me, holding his belt tight. I cried but did it. I felt him rub his hands over my butt before i felt a stinging pain, his belt hitting me across my back and my butt. I cried out louder each time he hit me, he liked it; I don't understand why he likes hurting me so much. Eventually he stopped hitting me and took off my underwear.

"Mmn, your panties, they smell so good." He said.

"No don't do that, that's...weird."

"How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet? The only thing you need to do is moan for me." Hans said.

"Wh-what?"

I felt his fingers near my privates, I didn't like the way it felt but I sorta did too. I wanted him to stop, but...I didn't. He rubbed it around, it felt bad but good, but...bad. Was I doing something bad by liking it? Then it started to hurt, he was trying to stick his finger inside me, where was he even trying to put his finger?

"Please stop, that really hurts!" I said through tears. Surprisingly, he did pull away and stopped hurting me.

"We'll finish this later." He growled. "Go in your room, cover up all the marks. If Elsa sees you'll be in big trouble."

"Yes, Hans." I sniffled. I got up slow and held my arms close to me while I started to walk out. Hans stopped me with one of his big hands on my shoulder and turned to make me face him.

"Forgetting something?" He asked and pointed to his cheek. I hesitated but kissed his cheek. "Good girl, now go get dressed."  
"Yes, Hans."

.o0o.

Another time he put me in the bath and said he was washing me, he really wasn't. I felt more dirty after I got out then when he put me in. And then the nightmares started. It's him, standing at my bed with big horns coming out of his head like a devil. He was this big red monster, just standing there waiting to hurt me.

I wished he was dead.

.o0o.

Then, a day before I told Elsa, he did something I still don't really get.

Elsa was at work, like always, and it was just us. As soon as she left he made me do what he always made me do, put his privates in my mouth. They always tasted really yucky, and he always made me swallow whatever went in my mouth. He was sitting on the couch and I was doing that thing to him, he was pushing my head down with his hands.

"Aw yeah, suck my dick, Anna, oh you're such a good girl." He said. He pulled my head away and patted the space beside him for me to sit. Then he stuck it back towards me. I curled up and was forced to keep sucking on his...dick, that's what he called it. He felt around my butt and started to try to put his fingers inside my privates again. He got it in and it really really hurt, I pulled away just for him to shove his dick right back in my mouth and down my throat; I almost threw up.

"Your cute little vagina...Hmm." He talked to himself, feeling around my body.

"Alright, we're going to do something new today, Anna." Hans said and pulled me by my hair, I coughed and choked. "Okay, let's go in the bedroom." He was smiling as he held my hand and walked me to the bed. He lied down on the bed and pulled my up next to him. He kissed me on the mouth, it made my lips tingle; I didn't like that either.

"I'm going to do something, it's going to hurt at first but it'll feel good after, I promise." Hans said. I didn't say anything back as he lied me down on my back and started to rub is dick against my vagina.

"W-What are you doing?" I asked, afraid. I held my arms close to my chest when he just started laughing.

"I'm going to make you feel good." Was all he said. His dick pressed against my vagina, I could feel it stretching; it hurt more than anything I had ever felt.

_"NO STOP IT HURTS SO MUCH!" _I screamed as loud as I could, the pain was so bad I could barely even see. He didn't listen and pressed in deeper, my insides hurt, i could feel something hot running down my butt.

"Oh shit, you're getting blood all over the place." Hans said, I sat up out of fear to look, he pulled out and there was blood all over hid dick and my legs. He picked me up and checked the bed for blood.

"Good, none got on the bed." He smiled. "Let's go somewhere else, so we don't make a mess." I was crying too much to reply. "And stop crying, it'll stop hurting eventually."

He carried me into the bathroom and sat me up on the counter, blood pooling under me. He was tall enough that he could reach me, he put his dick back inside me. It hurt so bad and I had nothing I could do to make it stop. I wanted someone to hold me and make all the pain go away, he was the only one I had to hold. I don't know why I did it, since I hate him so much when he does this, but I wrapped my arms around his neck and cried loud. He held me back and started to move in and out, making it hurt even more. It seemed like it lasted forever. He stopped when he made a really weird noise and breathed really hard in my neck. but then he just kept going.

"Oh, yeah, good girl, Anna." He laughed and kissed me a few times. I couldn't feel my legs and I felt something weird in my stomach, like there was something there. "I'm almost there, I'm gonna cum, Anna."

I didn't know what he meant.

"Hans, I'm scared, I feel funny; and it still really hurts!"

"You don't need to be scared, it's going to feel good in a minute, just keep going." He huffed. He was sweating all over me, he smelled awful. The feeling in my tummy kept getting bigger and I was afraid I was going to explode. I screamed when I felt it release, it felt like a balloon popped inside me. Hans made a lous noise too, he put me down on the floor; I fell down because I couldn't feel my legs. There was blood all over both of us, and then there was white stuff mixed in.

"Hnnng, hoo, that was amazing." Hans gasped, the white stuff was coming out of his dick. "Oh yeah...Oh..."

I started crying harder than I ever had before.

_"You're so mean!" _ I said to him. _"You're mean and I hate you!"_

"Oh shut the fuck up you little brat." Hans wasn't even trying to pretend to be nice. "Now I gotta get all this shit cleaned up and the last thing I want is to have to listen to you cry the whole time, got it?" I didn't say anything back, it made him angry. He grabbed my ankles and pinned me down on the floor, he started to do the thing again to me. I couldn't feel anything anymore, my body was numb and I guess I fell asleep because when I woke up I was in my bed, dressed, and alone. Elsa was home when I walked out there, she was sitting with Hans on the couch just talking and watching tv, like it didn't even happen.


	5. Chapter 5

** EDIT: Damn there were a lot of typos. hopefully i got most of them.**

* * *

.o0o. ELSA .o0o.

I couldn't believe what I had heard.

"H-Hans? Hans hurt you?" I asked, Anna nodded and trembled. I went stiff for a moment as all of the signs pointed straight to him, all of it made sense.

"That's why you..." I trailed off as all of the unusual behaviors Anna had developed made sense. That's why she locked the door, that's why she didn't want to be in the dark, or left alone- _oh my god,_ I left them here almost every day together.

"I'm sorry Elsa." Anna sniffled.

"No, you don't have anything to be sorry about, this is not your fault." I told her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Her face was scrunched up in pain and sorrow.

"You understand? None of this is your fault, you didn't do anything bad."

"O-o-okay..."

"Now we need to get you away from him." I said, Anna started to twitch a bit more and was glancing around the shower nervously.

"Anna, look at me, look at me, snowflake." I cooed and directed her to my face. "We're going to get out of here, but I need you to listen, alright?"

"Alright."

"It's very important that he doesn't find out, otherwise it might not work. Okay?"

"Okay." She coughed and tears racked her body.

"Shh, shh. Come here, listen very carefully." I hugged her, she gripped onto my skin tightly and dug her nails into my back for support, her bruised little body pressing against mine.

"Okay, what we're going to to id we're going to call Kristoff, okay?"

"Okay."

"And Kristoff is going to get his other police friends and they're going to take Hans away, okay?"

"Okay."

"So, you'll probably going to be with Kristoff for a little while. He's going to take you to the police department, you'll be safe there."

"Where will you be?" Anna pulled away to ask, her eyes bore into mine.

"I don't know if they're going to let me see you, but I'm going to make sure that I stay with you when I can." I answered honestly. "I'm going to make sure that you go to a doctor so they can look at your privates and make sure you're healing up alright, okay Anna?"

"I don't want you to leave me!"

"Shh, shh, honey, he can't find out that I know." I quieted her as gentle as I could. "We're going to get out of the shower,"

_"No!" _She stomped slightly but begged me with her hands on my shoulders.

"And you're going to get dressed like a big girl," I soothed her hair from her face and continued calmly.

"No, _please,_ Elsa!"

"And you're going with Kristoff."

"Elsa, I don't want him to hurt you." Anna said. "If he finds out he'll hurt you and me."

"I won't let that happen, now, I need you to do these things for me alright?"

"...Alright, Elsa."

.o0o. ANNA .o0o.

_The man on the television screen cleared his throat before continuing. "...And today, Hans Westergard received a three year sentence for the sexual assault and rape of seven year old Anna Arendelle. Family and friends of the victim are outraged and demand he receives a longer sentence. Here, live from the courthouse, we have our reporters on the scene interviewing the older sister and legal guardian of Anna; Elsa Arendelle."_

"Look, look, that's my big sister!" I shouted and pointed at the tv above the tv on the wall above me. The girl I shared my room with looked up slowly and watched as the news people talked to Elsa.

"That's your sister?" She asked, her voice was very gentle. "She's pretty."

"I know." I smiled.

_"Ms. Arendelle, I understand that you demand a longer sentence for Hans Westergard, why do you think he received such a short sentence?" The camera focuses on Elsa's face, she's crying and screaming. "He raped my sister, she's only a child, he deserves to die for abusing a child as much as he did and for as long as he did! I can't believe he can even live with himself after what he's done! I hope he gets a taste of his own medicine while he's locked up." Elsa crossed her arms and glared off at nothing._

_"Yeah!" Someone shouted in the background, it was Rapunzel. The news crew went over to Rapunzel next._

_"What is your relation to the Arendelle sisters?" _

_"I'm Anna's school teacher, Rapunzel Corona." Rapunzel bit._

_"Did you know this was happening to Anna?"_

_"I didn't know what was happening but I did notice something was off, I brought it to Elsa's attention and well...here we are."_

_"Why didn't you call child protective services if you were suspicious, Ms. Corona?"_

_"We-" _

_"Do you think you could have prevented this if you had called?"_

_"Uh, I-"_

_"Do you feel any sort of guilt for not calling child services? Will you continue being Anna's teacher?"_

_"No more questions, this trial is over." Kristoff jumped in, he was in uniform. He pushed the news crew away and escorted Rapunzel and Elsa out of the crowd of people rallying to boo and hiss at the ruling._

_"Well, this has been channel five news, back to you."_

A nurse walked in the room and went to change the channel.

"No, please don't change it, this is about me!" I shouted and reached out at the nurse, she paused and thought about it for a minute.

"Fine, but it's five minutes until ten o'clock, girls, you should think about going to sleep soon." The nurse said. "Merida, do you need to be changed?"

The girl I shared the room with, Merida, shook her head no. The nurse nodded and left again.

"Merida, what is she talking about?" I asked, talking about the nurse.

"I have to wear diapers." Merida said. "I can't move me legs or anything so I can't walk to the bathroom like y'all can."

"How did it happen?" I asked.

"I was riding a horse, fell off, and got hurt." Merida said. "But I still like horses."

"How old are you Merida?" I realized that I had never asked her these questions before.

"Fourteen, and you're seven right?"

"Uh-huh."

Merida made a little grunting noise in return then looked back up at the tv, I did too._  
_

_"It seems like many of the people at the rally downtown are protesting that Hans was innocent! The biggest collection of supporters is his, outrageous, twelve older brothers. The police, suspicious, has announced that they will be investigating the entire family for signs of any other crimes. Now, on to our next story-"_

Merida clicked off the tv this time and threw the remote on my bed.

"Ye shouldn't watch this crap, Anna." Merida said, her accent made me giggle. "I'm serious, ye shouldn't have to deal with that more than ya have to."

Merida pressed a button on her bed that turned off the lights, the only light that came in was through the blinds. I curled up, Sven in my arms, and tried to fall asleep but it was too dark.

"Merida?" I whispered.

"What?"

"C...Can I sleep with you tonight?"

I heard her sigh. I had asked her before and she always said no, we've been roommates for a few months now and we were friends but she still said no.

"It's okay...I shouldn't have asked." I said in defeat.

"No, ye can, but just for tonight." Merida said. I was surprised and excited, I scrambled off of my bed and into Merida's. She wrapped her arm around me, her fluffy red curls tickled my nose.

"Goodnight, ya wee beast."

"Merida, can I ask you something?"

"Ya just did, goodnight." She was grumpy but I could tell she was smiling.

"No, silly, I mean..." I didn't know if I would hurt Merida's feelings when I asked this but I was really curious. "Do you have any family waiting for you when you get out of the hospital?"

Merida stopped smiling.

"No. Now go to sleep."

"Okay...I'm sorry."

"..."

"...If I could have you in my family, I would." I whispered. Merida kissed my forehead.

"Thanks." She whispered back. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."


End file.
